Headlight proving appliance



y 3 1.. R. HARMON I 2,001,135

- I HEADLIGHT PROVING APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 1, 1934 Zui/zerli. Harm 0 12 ATTORNEYS Patented May 14, 1935 UNITED STATES PArENroF iaa 2,001,135 HEADLIGHT PROVING APPLIANCE Luther R. Harmon, Milwaukee, Wis. Application February 1, 1934, Serial No. 709,387

2 Claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a' device or appliance for incorporation as a part of the equipment of motor vehicles, so that in the event of failure of the filament in a headlight, 5 the fact may be instantly indicated to the operator; to provide an appliance of this kind in which means is included to permit the operator to use the dim headlight on one side in combination with the bright and dim headlight on the other in the event of failure of one bright headlight; to provide an appliance of the kind indicated in which the proving function is entirely automatic; and generally to provide a headlight proving ap pliance which is of simple form, susceptible of cheap manufacture and of a kind that may be readily mounted in a motor vehicle without the necessity for skill on the part of the party making the installation.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

The figure is a view partly in section and partly in diagram of the invention.

The invention comprises a switch l and a system of'relays housed in a case I l which is provided with binding posts l2, I l, and It on the one side and with binding posts l1, I8, l9 and 20 on the other side. The switch I0 is of a form which incorporates a pivotally mounted switch arm 2| carried on a disk or base 22 on which are mounted the contacts 23, 2! and 25 spaced uniform angular distances apart. An additional contact 26 is also mounted on the base and spaced from the contact 25 but lies in a line passing through the pivotal mounting of the switch arm 2| and through the contact 25, so that it is engaged with the switch arm when the latter is positioned on the contact 25, as it may be in the operation of the switch. The switch may be positioned on the contacts 23, 24, respectively and in bridging relation to the contacts 25 and 26. contacts 24 and 25 are interconnected as are the contacts 23 and 26 and the contact 23 is connected by means of a conductor 21 with the binding post II, the contact 24 being connected by a conductor 23 with the binding post I1.

While the invention is susceptible of application where the headlights incorporate dual fila- 0 ments or where dual lamps are enclosed in a single casing, or where separate bright and dim headlights are used, it is illustrated as employed in connection with headlights of the dual filament form. The dim filament 23 01' the left headlight is connected by means of a conductor 30 The with the binding post I2, the bright filament 5% being connected by means of a conductor 32 with the binding post M. The common connection between the two filaments is grounded, indi-- cated at 33, this being in accordance with the conventional practice.

The bright filament 34 of the right headlight is connected by means of a conductor 35 with the binding post l5, while the dim filament 36 of said headlight is connected by means of a con 10 ductor 31 with the bindingmost it, these two filaments having their fiGi'iiKiOIi grounded at 33.

While the element for proving the filaments may be either audible, as'a buzzer or hell, or is; visual, as a lamp or indicating instrument, it illustrated, in the present embodiment, as visual and as consisting of the lamp 38 which may be mounted on the vehicle dash and distinctively colored to readily distinguish its illumination 20 from that of other dash lights. One terminal of the lamp 38 is connected by means of a com ductor 39 with the binding post I9, While the other terminal of the lamp is grounded as indicated at 40. The battery 4! has one terminal grounded according to the conventional practice and the other terminal is connected by means of a conductor 42 with the switch arm 2|, this same terminal being also connected by means of a conductor 43 -with the binding post 20.

The relays housed in the case H are .dual wound and their cores 44 are disposed in close proximity to a contact carrying spring leaf 45 I on opposite sides of the angular supporting bracket 46 to which the leaf is secured at its longitudinal center and which is fastened, in any acceptable manner, to the wall of the case. Except where it is connected with the bracket, the leaf is unattached and carries disks opposite to the relay cores, so that they may serve as armatures to flex the leaf in the event of any netic pull effected by the relay s. Terminally the leaf is provided with contacts which engage complemental contacts carried respectively by the brackets 51 and 48, the bracket 48 being connected by a conductor 49 with the binding post 2!! and the bracket ll being connected by means of a conductor 50 with the binding post IS. The windings 5i and 52 on the two relays function alternately with their respective companion wind- 50 ings 53 and 54. One terminal of the winding 53 is connected by a conductor 55 with the binding post 16, a conductor 56 connecting one terminal of the winding 5| with the binding post IS. A conductor 51 connects one terminal of the wind- 55 ing 52 with the binding post l4, while a conductor 58 connects one terminal of the winding 54 with the binding post l2. The remaining terminals of the two windings 5i and 52 are connected in on a common conductor 59 which is electrically connected with the binding post IS. The remaining terminals of the two windings 53 and 54 are connected to a common conductor 60 which is connected to the binding post H.

In operation, the user desiring to operate his bright headlights, will move the switch arm 2| to its first position where it engages the contact *23. Then current will flow from the positive terminal of the battery to the arm 2|, contact 23, and conductor 21 to the binding post 18, thence over the conductor 59 and through the windings 5i and 52 in parallel, thence over the conductor 51, post l4, conductor 32 to the filament 3i and likewise over the conductor 55, post 55, conductor 35 to the filament 34, the two divisions of the current uniting at the ground 33 and returning to the battery. But on energizing the coils 5i and 52, the cores 44 are energized and the contact carrying leaf 45 is flexed by the attractive action, engaging its terminal contacts with the contacts carried by the brackets 4i and This latter operation will establish a circuit on the proving lamp 38, current flowing *fr'om the battery 4! over the conductor 43 to the binding post 20, thence over the conductor 49 to the bracket 58, thence over the leaf 45 to the bracket 4?, thence over the conductor 50 to the binding post i9 and thence over the conductor 33 to the lamp 38, returning to the battery through the ground. As long as both the filaments 3i and 3% remain intact, the fact will be indicated by the illumination of the proving light 38;

Should either filament fail, however, it will open the circuit of its particular winding on the relay, so that the core of the affected relay will lose its magnetism and the adjacent section of the leaf will return to its normal position, separating its terminal contact from the bracket contact. Thus the circuit on the lamp 38 will be broken, so that the operator will be apprised of the fact that one or the other of the lamp filaments 31 or 34 has failed and he may then make the desired replacement.

If it be desired to use the dim filaments 29 and 36 instead of the bright filaments, the switch arm 20 is shifted to the position where it engages the contact 24, when current will flow from the battery to the switch arm 2|, contact 24',- thence over the conductor 28 to the binding post l1, thence in opposite directions over the conductor 50 to the windings 53 and 54, passing from the former over the conductor 55 to the binding post l5 and over the conductor 31 to the filament. 36. The other division will pass over the conductor 58 to the binding post l2 and thence over the conductor 30 to the filament 29. The two divisions of the current will then unite at the ground 53 and return to the battery. The cores will then be subject to the effect of the windings 53 and 54 and the leaf will be attracted, as before described, closing the circuit on the proving lamp 38. Should either of the dim filaments fail, its associated relay will be tie-energized and the adjacent section of the leaf will return to its normal position, opening the circuit on the proving lamp and indicating the failure of one of the dim filaments.

Should one of the bright filaments fail and it be inconvenient or impossible to make the replacement of the affected lamp, the operator may move the switch arm 2| to the position where it engages the contacts 25 and 26. Then current will fiow from the battery to the switch arm and thence from the contact 26 to the contact 23 and thence over the conductor 21 to the binding post I8, flowing from this point through the undamaged bright filament as above described. Similarly, another division of the current will flow from the contact 25 to the contact 24 and thence over the conductor 28 to the binding post 11, again dividing andfiowing through both of the dim filaments as above described. Thus, the relays will be energized by both the windings 53 and 54, the spring leaf being flexed to efiect its M terminal contact engagement to close the circuit on the proving lamp 38. The unaffected bright filament will, of course, energize its winding on its associated relay but the magnetizing force of the two windings will be cumulative, so that the leaf will be retained in contact engaging position. Thus, the arrangement for illumination of both headlights, with the advantage of the bright illumination of one where there has been a failure of the bright filament in the other, is something of great practical advantage, particularly in road driving.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In combination with the lighting system of a motor vehicle having a plurality of lighting units, a plurality of filaments in each of said units, a filament of one unit corresponding with a. fila- -ment in the other unit, a plurality of relay cores corresponding in number to the number of units, a plurality of windings on each of said cores corresponding in number to the number of filaments in each of said units, a source of current, circuits for connecting corresponding filaments in parallel with each filament in series with a corresponding relay coil, switch means for selectively closing any one of said parallel circuits and for simultaneously closing a plurality of said circuits, and a signal circuit including a' switch means controlled respectively by the core with which it is associated, and a. proving device in said signal circuit.

2. In combination with the lighting system of a motor vehicle having a plurality of lighting units, a bright and a. dim filament in each of said units, a plurality of relay cores corresponding in number to the number of units, a plurality or windings on each of said cores corresponding in number to the number of filaments in each of said units, a source of current, circuits for connecting bright filaments in parallel and dim filaments in parallel with each filament in series with a corresponding relay coil, switch means for closing the circuit to all the dim filaments, or all the bright filaments, or to both the dim and bright filaments, and a signal circuit. including a switch means controlledraspectively by the core with which it is esoeiated, and a proving device in said signal circuit.

LUTHER R. HARMON. 

